A THEATRE group is stepping back 36 years to revive a popular production.

Tyldesley Little Theatre is bringing back a well-remembered mystery drama from 1981 to open the New Year.

Murder in Company, by prolific playwrights Philip King and John Boland, opened on Tuesday and will run until Saturday at the theatre in Lemon Street.

The story is a play within a play as a dramatic society assembles on the stage of a church hall to rehearse a mystery- thriller.

The rehearsal proceeds under difficulties until the mysterious death of the caretaker brings the situation of the whodunnit even more closely into real life.

Press officer Ian Taylor said: “In other words, the show is a murder mystery within a murder mystery!

“Director Kaye Taylor hopes that it proves to be just as intriguing now as it was 35 years ago.

“Even more interesting will be the fact that, as the show is set on an undecorated stage, audiences will finally be able to see TLT’s undecorated stage for the first time and will get a true feeling of life behind the scenes…other than murder, of course!”

Kaye has previously sat in the director’s chair for the successful comedies Sandcastles and Out of Sight, Out of Murder.

Ian added: “It’s either holidays or murderers when Kaye takes charge, and the cold winter weather suits sinister scenes rather than seaside ones!”

The cast features regulars such as Ingrid Folkard-Evans, Ian Taylor, Alex Clarke and Carly Lomax, joined by new talent Hannah Boardman, Matthew Walshaw, Ian Pattinson and Cat Hughes.

To help promote the production members of the cast recreated the press photo used to promote the original production back in the 1981.

For more information and tickets call the box office on 01204 655619 or 01942 886908, or visit www.tlt.org.uk.